Keweenaw County, Michigan

Keweenaw County (, KEE-wə-naw) is a county in the western Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 2,046, making it Michigan's least populous county. It is also the state's largest county by total area, the state's northernmost county, and includes the waters of Lake Superior. The county seat is Eagle River. Located at the northeastern end of the Keweenaw Peninsula, Keweenaw County is part of the Houghton, Michigan micropolitan area. Keweenaw County contains two National Park Service units: Isle Royale National Park and Keweenaw National Historical Park. The county is part of Michigan's Copper Country region, an area where copper mining was prevalent from the 1840s to the 1960s. History The county was set off and organized in 1861. It is believed "Keweenaw" is a corruption of an Ojibwe word that means "portage" or "place where portage is made"; compare the names of the nearby Portage Lake and Portage River which together make up the Keweenaw Waterway. Geography Two land masses comprise most of the land portion of the county: Isle Royale and the northeastern half of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The county also includes the waters of Lake Superior between the two, extending to the state's water borders with Ontario and Minnesota. It is thus the largest county in Michigan by total area, at 5,966 square miles (15,450 km2), of which just 540 square miles (1,400 km2) is land and 5,426 square miles (14,050 km2) (91%) is water. Of all counties (or equivalents) in the United States, Keweenaw County has the highest proportion of water area to total area. The largest lake entirely within the county is Gratiot Lake at 1,438 acres (5.82 km2), located at the base of the county's two highest peaks: Mt. Horace Greeley at 1,550 feet (470 m) and Mt. Gratiot at 1,490 feet (450 m). Other lakes include Lac La Belle near Bete Grise Bay, Lake Medora, Lake Fanny Hooe near Copper Harbor, Lake Bailey at the base of Mt. Baldy, and Schlatter Lake at the tip of the peninsula. By land, one can only access mainland Keweenaw County via Houghton County. National protected area Isle Royale National Park Keweenaw National Historical Park (part) Major highways US 41 runs northeast–southwest through the upper center part of the mainland portion of the county. It enters the southern area of the county at Bumbletown passes Phoenix, Delaware, Mandan, Copper Harbor and terminates north of Lake Fanny Hooe. M-26 loops from Phoenix to the shoreline of Lake Superior, then runs northeasterly along the shoreline to the intersection with US 41 at Copper Harbor. Adjacent counties and district Keweenaw County is the only county in Michigan to connect to the U.S. state of Minnesota via ferry service from Grand Portage to Windigo and Rock Harbor on Isle Royale. By land Houghton County, south By water Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada, north Alger County, east Marquette County, southeast Ontonagon County, southwest Cook County, Minnesota, northwest Communities Village Ahmeek Census-designated places Copper Harbor Fulton Eagle Harbor Eagle River (county seat) Mohawk Civil townships Allouez Township Eagle Harbor Township Grant Township Houghton Township Sherman Township Defunct townships Copper Harbor Township Sibley Township Other unincorporated communities Ghost towns Clifton Demographics Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 2,046. The median age was 56.6 years, with 15.5% of residents under the age of 18 and 35.4% of residents 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 107.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 106.5 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 95.5% White, 0.2% Black or African American, <0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, <0.1% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.3% of the population. <0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. There were 1,000 households in the county, of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.8% were married-couple households, 22.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 2,270 housing units, of which 55.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 90.1% were owner-occupied and 9.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 18.5%. 2010 census The 2010 United States census indicated Keweenaw County had a population of 2,156. This decrease of 145 people from the 2000 United States census represents a -6.3% change in population. In 2010 there were 1,013 households and 614 families in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile (1.5 people/km2). There were 2,467 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1.5/km2). At the 2010 census, 98.5% of the population were White, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American and 1.2% of two or more races; a total of 0.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race); of them, 28.8% were of Finnish, 14.0% German, 9.0% English, 6.6% French, French Canadian or Cajun and 5.7% Irish ancestry. Religion Through a 2020 survey by the Association of Religion Data Archives, Keweenaw County's religious population was predominantly Christian with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as the largest Christian group for the area. Following, the Roman Catholic Church was the second-largest Christian group in the county. Politics Keweenaw County was solidly Republican after the American Civil War, and until the Franklin Delano Roosevelt era. In 1900, 1904 and 1908 it stood as the nation's most Republican county. In his last election of 1944, Roosevelt became the first Democrat to win the county since Horatio Seymour in 1868. However, from 1964 to 1996 Keweenaw voted Democratic in every election except 1972 and 1980, thus standing as one of only six counties nationwide to support both Alf Landon and Walter Mondale, who suffered the two worst electoral vote losses since 1824. Since 2000, the county has become solidly Republican again. Government The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions—police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc.—are the responsibility of individual cities and townships. The Keweenaw County Courthouse and Sheriff's Residence and Jail in Eagle River faces Lake Superior. The courthouse was built in 1866, followed by the sheriff's residence and jail in 1886, and then remodeled in 1925. In her book Buildings of Michigan, Eckert writes: "Like a meetinghouse on a New England public square, and enclosed by a 3-foot [0.91 m] high public wall on the east and south sides, ...transformed in 1925 into its present stark white classical appearance. The courthouse for this sparsely populated remote county is remarkable in its formality...These include the giant Doric columns with fillets and bases, a pediment forming a projecting portico, a modillioned cornice, and pedimented side dormers." The courthouse still preserves its original appearance. Sparsely populated Keweenaw County was a mining center in the latter 19th century but in the 20th century turned into a resort community. Because of this trend, Keweenaw County is also the only county in Michigan to have a lower population in the year 2000 than in 1900. Elected officials Probate Judge: Keith DeForge Prosecuting Attorney: Charles (Chuck) Miller Sheriff: Curt Pennala County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Julie Carlson County Treasurer: Eric Hermanson Mine Inspector: John Cima (information as of January 2021) See also List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Keweenaw County National Register of Historic Places listings in Keweenaw County, Michigan Copper Country Notes References Further reading External links Keweenaw Liberty Library Keweenaw County Profile, Sam M Cohodas Regional Economist, Tawni Hunt Ferrarini, Ph.D. CopperCountry.com Tourism and Events Information for Keweenaw, Houghton and Ontonagon Counties. CopperCountryExplorer.com Keweenaw County Chamber of Commerce Keweenaw County government website "Bibliography on Keweenaw County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. Hunt's Guide to the Keweenaw Peninsula Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Region